John h



(No Model.)

J. H. FRAUMANN.

I AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE. No. 561,509. Patented Jung 2, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT Erica.

JOHN H. FRAUMANN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ANDREWVJ. ENGLISH, OF SAME PLAOE.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 561,509, dated June 2,1896.

Application filed Oc ober 14,1895. Serial No. 565,675. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. FRAUMANN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oincinnati, Ohio, have invented newand useful Improvementsin Automatic Railway-Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to road-crossing gates for railways, its objectbeing to provide such gates with operating mechanism whereby they willbe automatically actuated by the passage of the trains upon the track.

Mechanism embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device as appliedto a railway;.Fig. 2, a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 a detailshowing construction of the parts immediately actuated by the train.

Referring now to the drawings, A designates a railway with rails a a,and B B bars or gates pivoted on standards I) to close down in the usualmanner at the sides of the railway over a road crossing the railway.

The gate-bars are overweighted by weights b, so as to stand normally upand free of the road-crossing, as indicated in Fig. 1, and are providedwith counterweights w, suspended therefrom by a cord 10, which, whenfree to act, draw the gates down to the position indicated by dottedlines, Fig. 1.

The automatic mechanism here to be described acts solely upon the weightw, which by being left free operates the gates so that no sudden actionmay injure or disarrange the apparatus.

The actuating mechanism is as follows: The standards I) are prolongeddownwardly into boxes and furnish journal-bearings for a shaft 3,extended between and into them, upon which are fastenedactuating-pulleys D and Windlass-pulleys d. To each of the latter isattached a cord 10 passing upward and over an idler-roller d andattached at its free end to the weight w. It will be apparent that by apartial rotation of the shafts sin one direction the weights w will belifted, thus allowing the weights 5 to raise the gates 13, and that by acounter rotation of the shaft the weights to will be released and infalling draw down the gates B. This operation is effected by thefollowing connections: Attached at a given point to the periphery ofeach of the actuating-pulleys D is a cord f, (wire rope preferred,)extending outwardly in both directions parallel with the track (overguide-sheaves 00, if necessary) and at tached at each free end to abell-crank lever E, constructed and connected as follows:

The lever E is pivoted to a plate or bar O, fastened to suitablesupports O outside the trackway. The horizontal arm of the lever extendsalongside of the plate, and its vertical arm projects downwardly. Theattachment of the cord f to the vertical arm of the lever E is by ashort rod f, provided with a turnbuckle f for taking up any slack in thecord, and this rod extends through the le- Ver-arm and is there providedwith a tuglink connectionthat is to say, the rod extends loosely throughthe arm and is provided with a spiral spring 8 at the opposite side ofthe arm bearing outwardly against a terminal head of the rod. The objectof this construc tion will presently be explained. 4

The free end of the horizontal arm of the bell-crank is pivoted to orconnected by a link g with the ends of two arms 9 g, which extend thenceoutwardly in opposite directions adjacent to the bar or plate 0, and aresecured thereto by studs g entering horizontally-elongated slots of thearms. The arrangement is such that when in position to be acted upon bythe train the inner ends of the arm stand above the level of the plate,as indicated at the right-hand side of Figs. 1 and 3, so as to bedepressed byaroller a, suitably attached to the locomotive. It will beseen that by this arrangement when the roller ,2 forces down the arms 9at one side of the crossing the vertical arm of the lever E is thrownbackward, (any sudden shock being eased by its tug-link connection,) andthus actuates the weight w.

A complete set of actuating connections is arranged at each side of theroad-crossing at the same side of the railwaytrack, connected inrelatively opposite relations with the pulley D, so that a trainapproaching a crossing closes the gates and on leaving the crossingopens them by means of an actuating device upon the locomotive. In caseof a single track, upon which trains run in both directions, theactuating connections at both sides of the roadcrossing are duplicatedat opposite sides of the track.

In case of a double trackway, with trains moving upon each in onedirection only, one complete set of the devices as above described isarranged at the outer side of each track.

The roller 2 is arranged upon one side of the locomotive-for example, inconnection with the pilot-in such position as to operate the bell-crankE in passing. In these cases the attachment of the cord or rope f atopposite sides of the track is at relatively opposite points in theperipheries of the wheel, so that the action is alternating.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States 1. In railway-gate apparatus, the combina tion of apivoted gate overweighted to remain normally open, an independentmovable controlling-Weight hung to the gate in opposite relation to itsnormal overweight, an independent lifting connection from saidindependent weight to a controlling device adjacent to the track at oneside of the roadcrossing adapted to be operated by a train, and aconnection thence to a similar controlling device at the same side ofthe track beyond the road-crossing and acting in reverse, substantiallyas set forth.

2. In railway-gate apparatus, the combin ation of a pivoted gate,overweighted to stand normally open, an independent movablecontrolling-weight suspended therefrom in opposite relation to itsnormal overweight, connections from said controlling-weight in oppositedirections to actuating devices adapted to be operated by a passingtrain, and arranged in pairs, at opposite sides of the track and atopposite sides of the road-crossing; the actuating devices of each pairbeing interconnected so that the approach of a train actuates theproximate controlling device to depress the gate and elevate theopposite controlling device of its pair into the path of the train foractuation, and the actuation of the last-mentioned controlling deviceopens the gate and resets the initial controlling device of the pair fora new action, substantially as set forth.

3. In an automatic gate-closing device, in combination with anoverweighted gate adapted to stand normally open, a counterweightcontrolling the gate in opposition to its overweight, a lifting cordindependently connected to said counterweight, a winding-drum to whichthe cord is also connected, an actuating-cord wound upon saidwinding-drum and attached at opposite sides of the roadcrossiu g to twoactuating devices adjacent to the track, moving simultaneously inopposite directionsone by means of the other through the medium of theconnecting-cord, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN H. FRAUMANN.

\Vitnesses:

L. M. I-IosEA, FRANK K. BOWMAN.

